The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Tourist spots, transport hubs see weekend crowds return
Popular tourist spots across the country bustled on Saturday, at the start of the first weekend in months without a state of emergency against the novel coronavirus in effect in any prefecture. Crowds also streamed back into the nation’s airports, with groups of families standing out among the travelers eagerly queuing up for long-awaited domestic flights.
At Haneda Airport, the gateway to Tokyo, many tourists carrying large travel bags could be seen arriving from early morning. According to airlines, reservations for domestic flights have been on the rise since mid-September, when ebbing infection cases put the end of the state of emergency in sight.
Norio Ishii, 69, from Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, was among those waiting in the Haneda departure terminal on Saturday. Ishii was traveling with his family to attend the wedding of his 29-year-old daughter in Okinawa the following day. “It’s such a relief that they’ll finally be able to hold the ceremony.”
The daughter had originally planned to hold her wedding in Hawaii in June last year, but had to reschedule in light of the surge in coronavirus infections.
“My daughter wanted to be able to wear a wedding dress on her big day, so I’m very glad that we will all be able to get together to see her in her dress, and celebrate with a toast,” Ishii said with a smile.
The streets of Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, teemed over the weekend with tourists enjoying craft beer and other refreshments amid the town’s historic storehouses.
Miho Yamagishi, a 43-year-old salesclerk who was busy serving customers at a Japanese-style confectionery store in the city, welcomed the uptick in business. “We hope lots of people will come here from now on,” she said.
In Kanazawa, the famed Kenrokuen garden reopened its gates after a nearly two-month hiatus. Holidaymakers were seen strolling in the garden, snapping photographs the Kotoji Toro stone lantern, one of the highlights of a garden acclaimed as one of the three finest in all of Japan.
Sayaka Abe, a 21-year-old university senior who was visiting from Tokyo, said it was her first extended trip in months. “It’s been a lot of fun soaking in the atmosphere of this historic town,” she added.
Visitors could also stop by the Miyoshi-an, a teahouse in the garden, for refreshments. The teahouse was open for business, although it had reduced its seating to half, and asked customers wear face masks when not eating or drinking.
“It’s wonderful to be back to work,” said Masayoshi Shinkura, a proprietor of the teahouse. “We would like to do our best with gratitude to our customers.”
FOOT TRAFFIC UP AT STATIONS
Major transport hubs also saw a rise in foot traffic on Saturday.
According to data obtained from NTT Docomo Inc.’s “Mobile Spatial Statistics,” which uses cellphone location data to gauge foot traffic in an area, the flow of people between 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday rose 9% at Tokyo Station and 10% at Terminal 1 of Haneda Airport, compared to the same time the previous week.
In Minato Mirai in Yokohama, turnout was up 20% compared with a week earlier.
At Mito Station in Mito — which is close to Kairakuen, another noted landscape garden and popular tourist spot in Ibaraki Prefecture — traffic was up 20% from the last Saturday. (Oct. 4)